Skin Sensitivity and Dermalogica

I’ve always been a sensitive person by nature, but my skin has been tough. The adage of “developing a thick skin” seemed to apply literally, but not emotionally in my case. Despite lots of skin picking in my teen years, I haven’t had much scarring due to an oily disposition that didn’t leave my face until my late 20’s. Trust me, I’m counting my blessings!

Nowadays, I make sure to do SPF everyday, drink lots of water, eat my veggies- all that good stuff you’re supposed to do. A quick swipe of eyeliner, mascara, and blush- then I’m good to go.

Skincare was something I didn’t pay too much attention to, and I considered myself fortunate to be able to pick out the first thing I could find, leaving the rest of my beauty budget to go to cosmetics and perfume.

Then this winter…my skin decided to be reactive. My cheeks started to flake and chap, and I was drawn back to my teen years where I was plain uncomfortable with how my skin looked. I think this was a result of the super cold Chicago, a very dry condo, and stress from starting a job. Generally these are good things (again- reliable heat and new opportunities- blessings!), but my skin was not happy. I had taken winter for granted, because with oily/combination skin, my skin wouldn’t break out as much as it would in the summer time. I was on the hunt for a solution!

Then, Influenstersent me a box from Dermalogica. Influenster is a website that connects customers with brands for reviewing and social media marketing. It’s free, I’ve been on it for about 3 years, and loved trying a variety of cosmetics, haircare products, and skincare . Let me know if you have questions about it!

I’d never tried Dermalogica before. I had my skincare “go-to’s” so I didn’t think to branch out. The two products I tried were the following:

I used to revel in not having to use products for sensitive skin. My skin is tough- I can handle it! Boy, was I missing out. I guess that redness wasn’t something to ignore, huh? I’m so grateful to have had a chance to try this- it’s really been a game changer for my skin, so much that I felt compelled to write about it.

When the weather was getting particularly bad, I would cleanse with coconut oil. Usually, this would result in major oil production, but I think my skin was so dry it needed it. After one use of the Calm Water Gel, with about 1-2 drops of the barrier defense, I no longer felt any tightening of my face. After 2 days, my redness was completely gone. GONE. I also took a break from face scrubs and face masks. I feel like the two products helped to simplify my routine. This is also the only time in my life when I could use a dime-sized amount of a product and get a lot of use.

I’ve also been trying to convert my products to being cruelty-free. This means really taking a look at which companies sell product in China (a country that requires animal testing), which are owned by bigger companies that may test on animals, and which do not contain actual animal by-products. These products are fit all three of these criteria, and to boot, are Leaping Bunny approved!

These products also don’t contain parabens. The science is still new, but there are some studies to suggest parabens are linked with cancer. Yikes! Better to be safe than sorry?

The lavender scent reminded me of Yogi Tea’s Honey Lavender tea, which I haven’t had in a long time. Maybe February is the time to really focus on stress-relief, and figuring out how that integrates into our modern notion of “self-care.” I picked up a box of this tea, and have been enjoying it both at work, and right before bed. YUM. $4 well spent.

One of my goals for this year is to get back to regular blogging. Not just reviewing books (which I will still do), but all of the fun stuff in-between. I enjoy writing and making observations on activities in my day-to-day life-so look out!

What are some of your favorite skincare brands? Let me know!

Disclaimer: I received the reviewed products in this post for free from Influenster. All opinions are my own.